Research on synthesis technology of phytosterol esters

Phytosterol is a kind of natural components of the vegetable oil including stigmasterol and β-sitosterol, etc. Phytosterol can inhibit intestinal exogenous cholesterol absorption and reduce serum total cholesterol levels and so on. Phytosterol esters have better lipid solubility and cholesterol lowering effect than Phytosterol, furthermore, it is a new functional food additive to reduce serum cholesterol and prevent cardiovascular disease. Phytosterol esters can be more easily added to the grease or greasy foods than phytosterol. This article described the synthesis of phytosterol esters overview and introduced the chemical method, enzymatic method, ionic liquid method and solvent-free direct esterification synthesis about synthesis of phytosterol esters to develop an efficient, environmentally friendly, reliable and safe phytosterol esters synthesis technology and provide a reference for people to further studythe synthesis of phytosterol esters.